Illinois Football: Tennessee wide receiver picks the Illini for 2024

Well, 10 minutes have passed, and you know what that means; another Illinois football commitment.

The craziness that has ensued stemming from this past weekend’s official visit group is hard to keep up with. The Illini brought in numerous players from around the country to show them that Champaign was the right landing spot.

Sunday started the madness with two big commitments from Demetrius John and Easton Baker. That momentum snowballed on Monday with more pledges. Eddie Tuerk led things off with a commitment. Tysean Griffin soon followed.

Illinois sat with seven commitments after the Griffin pledge. The Illini weren’t done adding players, though. Soon after the Griffin commitment, Carlos Orr decided to join the fun.

Orr took to social media to announce that he has decided to commit to Illinois.

Landing Carlos Orr from the class of 2024 shows the recruiting reach of the Illinois football program

Orr is a 6-foot-4, 180-pound wide receiver from Gatlinburg Pittman High School in Tennessee. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 122 wide receiver in the class of 2024. He is also the No. 30 player coming out of Tennessee.

Illinois was able to snag an under-the-radar recruit in Orr. His only power-five offer was, I believe, from Illinois. But that doesn’t mean much. There are plenty of Illinois commitments who have shown that sometimes stars don’t tell the whole story.

Opinion

Getting high three and four stars isn’t the only focus for the Bret Bielema coaching staff. That is a great mentality to have when it comes to recruiting. Illinois needs to land those top guys but we also need depth, and that is what Orr provides.

I love Orr’s size at 6-foot-4. Having that type of size isn’t teachable. But what is teachable is catching ability, body development, and how to run routes. If Orr needs help in any of these areas, then I think Illinois can guide him in the right direction.

The fact Illinois was able to go into Tennessee and snag a 6-foot-4 wide receiver is impressive too. We are hitting numerous states, and we aren’t leaving any stone unturned. Orr could easily be a diamond in the rough. The Illini coaches found that diamond.